Gripping jaw for wire clamps



June 6, 1939. s] P, BECKER 2,161,694

GRIPPING JAW FOR WIRE CLAMPS Filed oct. 8, 1966 .Y :EYE- Ex i A lmventor .Sife/hen P. Becker.

Bg l P i n (Ittorneg Patented June 6, 1939 i '1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GRIPPING JAW FOR WIRE CLAMPS Stephen P. Becker, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Application October 8, 1936, Serial No. 104,659

1 Claim. (Cl. .Z4- 126) My present invention relates primarily to a deis understood that slight changes may be made vice for holding, splicing or securing one or more without departing from the spirit of the invention.

rods or wires together or to some object with- In the drawing: out the use of solder, welding, brazing or other Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the one-piece permanent securing means, and which is largely jaw-member. l;`

employed to eliect a solderless connection in Figure 2 shows a. rear end View of the same. electrical installation, and the invention relates Figure 3 shows a longitudinal sectional View more particularly to a novel form of gripping taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2. jaw or sleeve for holding the rod or wire, and Figure 4 shows a longitudinal sectional view of lo. of such design that it may be incorporated in a a two-wire solderless connector, in which the jawvariety of different casings and used for a nummembers are employed, showing one of them in ber of different purposes. section, and the other of a modified form of con- In the present construction as shown in U. S. struction. Patent No. 2,041,108, and pending U. S. Patent Figure 5 shows a different form of two-wire l5 application Serial No. 86,599, the jaws are in connector or clamp, in which these jaw members 15,

the ferm of separate pieces connected together are employed. by a follower, but this method of construction Figure 6 is a partial View of one portion of a has been found expensive to make and assemble wire connector showing the method employed for and the jaws being in parts do not always center receding the jaw-member to release the wire.

the wire or move in unison, especially when being VFigure '7 is a detailed side elevation of the pre- 20 receded to release the wire. ferred form of jaw member as employed in Fig- To overcome these objections and to provide ures 4 and 6, and illustrates how the position of a universal jaw member for the purpose, and the wire can be seen through the windows or which can also be incorporated into wire and openings therein when lined up with the opendrill chucks and the like, I have devised the ings in the casing. 25

present invention. Referring to the drawing:

The object of the invention is to provide a The one-piece jaw unit comprises a tubular one-piece semi-resilient jaw-member capable of member formed with a straight exterior portion expansion and contraction within its predeter- I0 parallel to its axis, and a tapered integral exmined limits. terior body portion II, of the desired taper to fit Another object of the invention is to provide a the casing within which it is mounted. one-piece jaw-member for wire connectors that Ihis one-piece jaw unit is formed with an axial shall be self centering within a casing or holder bore I2 of the required diameter for the wire I6 and upon the wire. that it is to be used upon, and the rear end is Another object of the invention is to provide a either counterbored as at I3 to retain one end of 35 one-piece jaw member for wire connectors and a tension spring I4 or may be shouldered upon the clamps in which the wire may be inserted enexterior, or left plain as desired; the outer or tirely through the connector or clamp thus alsmall end being slightly beveled as at I5 to facililowing of take-up and adjustment. tate entering the wire I6 therein.

A further object of the invention is to pro- To provide elasticity and render the unit semio vide a one-piece jaw-member in which all of the flexible and capable of self-expansion when regripping faces are always in perfect alignment leased, and contraction upon the wire when forced and parallel relation with each other and with into the tapered end of a casing, the unit is prothe wire. vided with a series of long longitudinal slots I1 A further object being to provide a one-piece open at the small end, and a second series of slots 45 jaw-member having a great resiliency and capa- I3 closed on the inner ends and overlapping the ble of use with either automatic or manually long slots I1 and open at the large end of the unit, operated connectors or clamps. and thus by the removal of metal, the unit is ren- With these and other objects in view, my indered very flexible. v vention consists in certain novel construction and For gripping the wire I6, the interior bore of 50 combination of parts as will herinafter be fully the unit is divided into a series of gripping faces described and claimed and further illustrated in I9 by the long slots I1, and these jaw faces I9 the accompanying drawing which forms a part are provided with transverse gripping teeth. hereof, and in which like figures of reference refer Referring to Figure 4, the one-piece jaw units to corresponding parts in all of the Views, and it are shown as mounted within a. solderless Wire 55 connector casing 2l having the interior tapered ends 22 and provided with an expanding coil compression spring I4 for normally retaining the units in extended relation within the casing and in holding relation with the wi-re I; one unit being shown in section with the end of the spring I4 within a counterbore I3, and the other unit being shown with the end of the spring I4 within a counterbore in the end thereof. Y

Referring to Figure 5, a wire clamp is shown in the form of two members 23 and 24 having axial Valigned tapered bores 25 and 26 within which are mounted a pair of the one-piece jaw units which are'forced Vtogether and contracted upon the wires I6 by Vrotating the threaded portion 21 of the member 24 into the threaded interior portion 28 of the member 23." Referring to Figure 6, the method for receding and holding the one-piece jaw unit so that it may expand and release the wire I 6 is shown, and this Ycomprises an'elongated hole 2S formed in the wallV of the casing r2|, through which may be inserted the point 20 of a rod or screw-driver to enter the closed end of Yone of the slots I1 and 'retain the unit in aV receded and expanded Wire releasing position after having been pushed inwardly withinthe casing I1 by an inward movement'of the wire I6.

also to provide a means for the drainage of water Y or dirt from the casing. y Y Y As shown in Figure 4, the one-piece jaw unit I0 may, in place of the parallel slots or cuts, be formed, adjacent to the large end with a series of radial openings 30 connected by a series of parallel slots or cuts 3| with the small end of the unit thus providing va series of T-shaped slots rendering the unit iiexible and self-expanding with the exception of the closed annular band 32. The openings 30 providing a ready means for the insertion of a rod or tool by which thev unit may be receded against the action of the spring, while at the same time allowing the wire to be seen.

If it is not desired that the Wire I6 be permitted to extend through the clamp, and only intended to be gripped near the end, it will be necessary to provide a stop for the end of the wire. This can be accomplished either by the use of a fol-y lower slidablymounted within the casing between the end of the tensionspring I4 and the rear end of the jaw unitY I0, or as shown in Figure 4, by forming the ends of the tension spring I4 with cupped or conical ends 34 and adapted to be placed Vwithin the counterbored ends 33 of the jaw unit I 0 thus providing a stop for the wire I6.

As shown inFigure '7 the jaw member is formed with the radial openings 30 communieating with the longitudinal cuts 3|; the jaws thus formed being connected to the annular band 32 by the strips 35 which are slightly bowed or bent outward and being of resilient material tend to exert an inward or compressing action on the Jaws. Y l Y Having thus described my inventionVwhat I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

In a gripping Vjaw including a compression spring, a clamp consisting of a band adapted to loosely surround the spring, resilient strips p e-Y ripherally spaced about the band and extending axially thereof, (zo-extensive spaced parallel wedgeV shaped gripping jawseach carried by a respective strip, said jaws being externally tapered inwardly away from said band, said jaws being thicker than the strips andV extending radially inwardlyV Y' i' and strips a cage for receiving a terminal of the spring.

Y STEPHEN P. BECKER.

'thereof 'to form in conjunction with said bandV Y, 

